


With Friends Like This

by MaybeStarlight



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Darkley's School for Bad Boys, Friends as Family, Friendship, Gen, a little angst as per usual, au where lloyd doesn't get kicked out of Darkley's, collection of oneshots, fluff mostly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 04:34:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28825287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaybeStarlight/pseuds/MaybeStarlight
Summary: What if Lloyd had never gotten kicked out of Darkley's because Brad and Gene were helping him stay in the school?
Comments: 4
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Not me starting something fluffy because I'm having issues writing anything good for my actual long stories.

Lloyd flopped down on his bed, tossing the stack of flash cards beside himself. "Brad, tell me I'm not hopeless." Their final exam in Mastermind Philosophy was in the morning, and even after quizzing himself for hours, Lloyd was no closer to understanding the different options in evil philosophies. He pushed his bangs out of his eyes, turning his head towards Brad.

Brad spat toothpaste out of his mouth, rinsing his toothbrush. "I don't think you're hopeless. We just need to find a way to make the material stick. Short of literally gluing the answers to your desk." Brad paused, looking back at Lloyd. "What if we sneak into the classroom and do that? Wouldn't that count as evil?" He laughed a bit.

With a sigh, Lloyd shook his head. "That won't work. It isn't evil enough to excuse cheating. We need to find a way to-" The door of their dorm room opened, and Gene walked in with a thick stack of books in his arms. Lloyd sat up. "Please tell me that you've got some way to help me pass-some neurotic device or something to remember the six branches of thought or-"

Gene slammed the books down on his desk. "Shut up, Garmadon. First, it's _pneumonic_ device. Second, you think I went to study with Finn because I value my friendship with him?" Gene rolled his eyes, holding up a rolled up and sealed piece of parchment. "I went because I was asking him for a memory spell. For _you_. Not that he knows that."

Finn hated Lloyd. It was a known fact throughout every grade in the school. The first day of school, Finn had drawn Lloyd's name as his mortal enemy assignment and he took the assignment to heart. He had made every move possible to create a miserable school year for Lloyd.

First it had been little things, helping Brad prank Lloyd by putting fire ants in his bed. Then it had become stealing his things and either destroying or hiding them. Lloyd had just given Brad all his school supplies to keep safe. _Then_ it had become doing everything in his power to get Lloyd out of the school either by expulsion or in a body bag. Either would make Finn happy, Lloyd was pretty sure.

Lloyd hopped off his bed, bounding over to see the spell. "How does it work?"

Gene held it out of Lloyd's reach, which wasn't hard considering his recent growth spurt gave him at least five inches over Lloyd. "First, we'll tape it to you in the morning. Under your sleeve of your writing hand. For now, we need to get the knowledge written down on the paper. I have the best handwriting, so _I'll_ fill it out with all my notes and from the study guide." Gene set the parchment down and began to unroll it.

Lloyd and Brad beamed. Lloyd practically skipped around their room to grab his toothbrush. "Gene if this works, I owe you uh...uh..."

"Your desserts for a week?" Gene teased, knowing just how much those meant to him.

Lloyd bit his lip and then sighed. "Yeah, that sounds fair."

* * *

Lloyd had to think to not roll up his sleeves after lunch the next day, which was hard given how warm the day was. He looked at Brad as he pulled out flashcards, handing them over. They had ten minutes until the test. "Quiz me!"

Brad laughed, shaking his head. "You've got this, Lloyd. Trust me, I've quizzed you enough. It's gonna be fine." Regardless, he took the flash cards and shuffled through them. "Okay, give me the villainous philosophy where the focus is on the big picture, focused on painting in big strokes as opposed to short sighted, pettier criminals."

Lloyd felt a burn on his arm, and the words came to his tongue like a shot of lightning. "Visionary Villainy."

Brad beamed. "So it's working?"

Lloyd nodded, rubbing his arms. The burning sensation hadn't gone away yet. He kept his voice quiet. "It kinda hurts."

"Well you only have to keep it on to take the test, as soon as you can get to the bathroom and tear it off, it'll be done with." Brad said with a kind smile. He closed his locker and walked with Lloyd to the classroom.

* * *

By the time the test was over, Lloyd's arm felt like it was on fire. It was somehow _worse_ than the fire ants, maybe because of how concentrated it was, maybe because of the general itchiness of the tape and the heat of his sweater.

Lloyd winced as he peeled it off his arm, biting down on his lip painfully as the paper pulled at his skin, the tape practically melted. Under it, the skin was painfully red and the words looked half-burned into the skin. Lloyd wanted to cry, and gasped as he ripped it away fully, dropping it into the toilet bowl to flush it.

It stung so bad. There was no way Lloyd could put his sleeves back down, but there was no way to explain away the burn marks left behind by the spell.

Lloyd heard the bathroom door open and bit down on his lip as he reached for the toilet paper to make it sound like he had been using the bathroom. Someone knocked on the stall door, and Lloyd's voice cracked. "Occupied!"

"It's me." Brad's voice was quiet. "You looked like you were dying to get out of there, teach sent me after you. What's wrong?"

Lloyd dropped the toilet paper wad, and unlocked the door to show his arm to Brad. Brad let out a low whistle. "That's bad."

"Uh-huh." Lloyd felt numb everywhere except for his arm. "I can't hide it. It hurts too much."

Brad chewed his lip, and then looked at Lloyd. "Then go back to the dorm room. I'll cover for you. Say Gene and I put an emetic in your food at lunch and you're puking your guts up."

Lloyd smiled half-heartedly. "You'd do that for me?"

"What are friends for?"


	2. Chapter 2

Brad and Gene knew when Lloyd started storming in and out of their room that it wasn't personal. When he became more agitated in the fall, it was easy to know what was wrong. It was hard to miss, with flyers and banners going up everywhere to prepare for Parent's Week.

Not once in the five years they had known Lloyd had _anyone_ come for Parent's Week for him, and even in their first year they thought it was weird how much he knew no one would come for him.

Lloyd was a particularly closed book when it came to his life before Darkley's. Brad and Gene had started alternating summer vacations so one of them was always at the school with Lloyd. Lloyd never left. Not for Day of the Departed, not for Christmas, not for New Years, and certainly not for spring or summer break.

Brad had been the one to figure out what had happened first. It was well known that Lloyd's father was banished to the underworld, and since that was another realm it wasn't like he could just pop up for a visit. Realm travel was seriously dangerous stuff according to Dr. Tan. It was when Brad climbed down from the top bunk into Lloyd's bed because he had a nightmare that Lloyd opened up.

_"She abandoned me here. I've tried writing but she doesn't write back."_

Brad reminded Lloyd he was better off forgetting she even existed.

* * *

"No, mom, it's okay really." Brad said into the phone quietly, eyes checking the hall to make sure Lloyd wasn't nearby. "The care package is really all we need. We're gonna celebrate with Lloyd."

His mother had a sarcastic retort, and Brad rolled his eyes. "He's gonna be my number two henchman after Gene, it's important to get him on my side now instead of him becoming an enemy!" Brad wrapped the spiral cord of the phone around his fingers. "...so you'll send it?"

His mother sighed on the other end of the phone, and Brad grinned. "Thank you mom, you're the best!" He paused. "Uh-huh. Yeah. I will. Yes, I'm gonna keep up my studies. I'm not stupid. I'm your son after all." He rolled his eyes again, mumbling. "Love you too, talk to you tomorrow. Bye mom." He hung up the phone and turned to run down the hall towards the courtyard, where he was sure Lloyd would be hiding out.

Brad heard laughing outside as he passed an open window and looked out, eyes going wide. He sprinted down the hall towards the stairs. Lloyd needed him.

* * *

Lloyd usually tried to hide out somewhere in the garden to avoid bullies. Most days, it worked. Today however was not one of those good days where things went in his favor.

Lloyd swears that Mr. Wolt actively gave extra credit to anyone who went after him on days that he supervised outdoor time.

He flailed in the air, trying to grab onto a tree branch to stabilize himself. "Finn this isn't funny!" He rose higher in the air, suspended by the purple magic the boy produced. Lloyd got a glance at the ground, so far away from him now. His stomach twisted. "Put me down, Finn! That's an order!"

"Awwww the little mistake thinks he can boss me around, isn't that funny boys?" Finn let out a sharp nasally laugh, and Lloyd shot higher like a rocket. "Think of it this way, the way things are going I could make sure you get to see your dad for Parent's week!"

The thought that he would actually do it felt like ice in his blood. Lloyd grimaced, making one last desperate flail for the tree, his fingers grasping a high branch. He gripped it tightly, like his life depended on it. Which it might.

Lloyd could hear the jeers and laughs of the boys below watching Finn's harassment with delight. The pull of the magic was strong, but Lloyd didn't have to be stronger. He just had to wait for someone to stop the show.

He should've hidden better than he had. Lessons learned, he supposed. Shame on him for trying to study outside by the garden instead of in the library where Gene usually lurked. Lloyd couldn't help it, he just needed the warmth of the sun while he could still get it. Winter wasn't too far off.

Lloyd's fingers began to slip from the branch, and he couldn't contain the cry of panic that came out through his gritted teeth. He tightened his grip, trying to readjust his hold on the branch.

Several things happened at once. Lloyd felt the snap of the magic, and his body swung downwards. He caught himself on the next branch down, hands hitting the bark _hard_ and the palms of his hands stung enough to nearly make him let go again. He heard the familiar chanting noises his classmates would make when someone was fighting, and Lloyd looked down.

Brad was wailing on Finn.

"Pick on someone your own size next time! No one is gonna hurt my best future henchman on my watch!" Brad yelled as he continued punching Finn.

No one had ever attacked Finn before, even though he was the meanest bully in their grade. Everyone had a slight fear of the magic wielder. Lloyd watched, stunned, before dropping down to the ground.

He met eyes with Brad, who jerked his head towards the building. Lloyd knew what he meant and ran. Brad could handle himself. If Lloyd was caught as the cause of a fight, he'd be back on the chopping block, and he was _not_ going to become the first guy ever kicked out of Darkley's for being too good to fight his own battles.

* * *

Brad came back to their room that night with an ice bag, and a wrapped up arm, and a lost tooth. His grin was wide as he tossed himself onto Lloyd's bunk. "You should've seen the look on Finn's face when I slammed him into the ground! I couldn't believe I was even-you know, fighting him until afterwards! It was like slow motion and hyper speed all at once!" Brad laughed. "Mr Wolt gave me extra credit for winning a fight, _and_ gave Finn detention just for losing his focus on what he was doing with his magic-he accidentally singed Wolt when he came to break up the fight."

Lloyd grinned, setting his Starfarrer comic aside. "You are crazy to take him on. He's gonna make your life bad now!"

"Worse," Gene added from across the room. "It's already bad you let yourself be seen as Lloyd's friend to Finn since they're enemies."

Brad rolled his eyes. "Yeah well, tough. If he tries I'll just find that mushroom that blocks his magic for a week and sneak it into his food. He never has kitchen duty, so it wouldn't be hard."

They all burst into laughter at that idea. Gene walked over to sit on the bed as well. "When Lloyd came into the library I thought the school was on fire or something! I've never seen you so freaked out, Garmadon!"

"You'd freak too if you nearly fell to your death _and_ then saw Brad going to town on Finn's face!" He argued, pushing his hair off his face. "I thought I'd died and was hallucinating or something!"

The three laughed again. A bell tolled in the distance. Gene stood up. "We should get ready for lights out, before we get another infraction. We can plot for parents week pranks after lights out."

Lloyd tried to hide his discomfort at the idea. Last year they had blown their prank plans off in favor of showing off to their parents, leaving Lloyd to try pranking others by himself, which only was half as effective as the plans should have been. "Oh...yeah."

Brad caught the fake smile. "My mom isn't able to make it this year, but she's sending the supplies we asked for, so we can cause some havoc while she's gone!" He turned to Gene. "What about your folks?"

"Both out of Ninjago for work. They doubt the job will be done by the time Parent's week is here. They're sending a ton of candy to make up for it though." He smiled at Lloyd. "Looks like it'll be the three of us together, huh?"

Lloyd blinked, looking at his friends. Neither of their parents could make it? But...Lloyd had met their parents. They seemed so supportive and perfect, how would they miss something like this?

But...it also meant that for once, Lloyd wouldn't be the only kid without parents visiting. He smiled. "Sounds like we're gonna have a blast!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for making it this far! As always, commenting really makes my day!

**Author's Note:**

> I can't believe I have to say this in this day and age but please let me know if you enjoyed this! It makes me 100% more likely to continue with something if I know people are enjoying it. I've already got the stories in my head, I literally only write them down to share them.


End file.
